LAKE TAHOE – (INT) - Wildfires are laying siege to parts of Northern California and the response effort is being stepped up.

Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation Friday for Siskiyou County due to the Lava Fire. That same proclamation was extended to Lassen and Plumas counties where the Beckwourth Complex Fire is burning. Both fires have destroyed homes, forced evacuations and damaged critical infrastructure.

The Beckwourth Complex Fire 50 miles north of Lake Tahoe is the largest wildfire of the year so far in California and is the state’s first megafire of 2021.

The U.S. Forest Service estimates the fire at more than 100,000 acres and is about two-thirds contained.

Megafires used to be rare, but they're becoming more and more common, especially in California, which has been hit repeatedly by extreme weather events, including heat waves, drought and dry lightning. These humongous fires were rare in California before 2003 — but 17 of the 20 largest fires in the state’s history have occurred since then, according to state data.

Story Date: July 17, 2021